Kremlin's Revenge For Countries That Give Sanctions And Condemn Their Actions In Ukraine

Photo by Vitolda Klein on Unsplash

JAKARTA - The Kremlin has not remained silent after being heavily battered by international sanctions. Russia also retaliated against countries that condemned their actions in Ukraine.

Monday, April 4, as quoted by Channel News Asia, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that would limit visas to citizens of countries Moscow considers 'unfriendly'. This is in response to the sanctions they received as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

The decision removed the ease of publishing with several European Union countries as well as Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Iceland.

Putin also ordered the Russian foreign ministry and other bodies to decide on private entry restrictions on foreign nationals and stateless persons who carry out hostile acts against Russia, its citizens or legal entities.

Last month the Russian government approved a list of hostile countries including the United States, Canada, Britain, European Union countries, and Ukraine, among others. The list also includes Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.

The criticism of Russia has entered a very serious phase. French resident Emmanuel Macron said there were clear indications that Russian troops were responsible for killing civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, so that new sanctions targeting Russia were deemed necessary.

"There are very clear indications of war crimes. It's more or less established that the Russian army is responsible (for Bucha's killing)," President Macron told France Inter radio.

"What happened in Bucha demands a new round of sanctions and very clear action," Macron added.

The new sanctions should target coal and oil, said Macron, who faces a re-election battle this month.

It was reported earlier that Bucha, a Ukrainian city, had just been liberated from Russian 'rule', when the city's leader accused Moscow soldiers of deliberately killing civilians during the roughly month-long occupation, a charge denied by the Russian Ministry of Defense.